Police announced their officers have confiscated high visibility vests, jackets, sunglasses, black attires, and other similar configurations from the Bouncers and other private security organizations which were making them appear more militaristic and combat hardened.
During the weekly press briefing at Naguru police headquarters on Monday, Uganda Police Spokesperson SCP Fred Enanga, said a police uniform is one of the most recognizable symbols in the society, and it serves to readily identify officers to members of the public and distinguish them from civilians.
He said, the uniforms were wrongly influencing perceptions of the public as well and the operations to confiscate more items of this nature remain active and ongoing.
According to Mr Enanga, this distinction assists the public, by indicating who they should approach, when in trouble and generally creates a sense of safety. Furthermore, he said the uniform projects an officer’s authority to arrest and protects them from interference by the public, when controlling a situation, including the use of force.
“We, however, continue to observe an increase in the manipulation of police uniforms, where private security organizations, Bouncers Associations, Political groups and individuals, have adopted the darker black uniforms for the counter-terrorism police, Khakhi for General Duties, white uniforms for the Traffic Police, among others, as well as rank insignia (PIPS), shoes, belts and larnyards. They purposely adopt these uniforms to appear authoritarian and militaristic. Some wear them to convey a more aggressive message to the public.” Enanga stated.
“This is illegal and must stop immediately. For Private Security Organizations Regulations 23(3) of Statutory Instrument 2013 NO.11; The Police (Control of PSOs), gives guidance. For other individuals and groups, the unauthorized duplication and manipulation of rank insignia and accoutrements of the police and other Sister Agencies like the UPDF and Prisons Services, is a violation of the laws, under the UPDF Act, Penal Code and other Statutory instruments, that gazette the uniforms” he added.